A record-shattering drought has racked much of the US. But the artificial intelligence industry is pushing ahead regardless, with the majority of planned datacenters set to be built in drought-ridden locations, a Guardian analysis has found. About two-thirds of upcoming datacenters, which typically require a large amount of water to operate, are set to be built in places that have been among the driest in the country over the past year. … Datacenter developers say the industry’s current water use is still just a fraction of what much larger consumers, primarily agriculture, already take, causing growing strain on key sources such as the Colorado River. … Yet the public backlash has been so strong – polling shows 70% of Americans don’t want to live next to a datacenter – that some states are considering new restrictions.

Other data center water use news:

• The Conversation: Blog: 5 ways data centers endanger their local communities and the country as a whole
• The Land Desk: Blog: Data centers = heat factories